Alan Rickman, giant of British film and theatre, dies at 69  —  Much-loved star of stage, TV and films including Harry Potter and Die Hard - and owner of one of the most singular voices in acting ­- has died in London  —  Alan Rickman, one of the best-loved and most warmly admired British actors …

Brent Budowsky: Why Clinton feels the burn  —  There is joy in the hearts of the army of small donors supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for president as a growing number of polls show increasing numbers of voters feeling the Bern in Iowa, New Hampshire and nationally.

Nikki Haley Dismisses SOTU Response Backlash: ‘I Stand By What I Believe’  —  South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) said Wednesday that she stands by her GOP response to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, in response to criticism from real estate mogul Donald Trump and some conservative pundits.

How Ted Cruz wins debates  —  Wolf Blitzer didn't think Ted Cruz had sufficiently answered his question.  Neither did Hugh Hewitt.  Or Maria Bartiromo.  Or Dana Bash.  So each moderator at the last two Republican debates pressed Cruz further.  —  “Yes or no?”  Blitzer demanded.

Ted Cruz Didn't Disclose Loan From Goldman Sachs for His First Senate Campaign  —  As Ted Cruz tells it, the story of how he financed his upstart campaign for the United States Senate four years ago is an endearing example of loyalty and shared sacrifice between a married couple.

How Badly Has the U.S. Been Humiliated?  Let's Count the Ways [Updated]  —  Paul has offered thoughts on the release of the U.S. sailors, all of which I agree with.  I want to add a few further observations.  —  The day began with Joe Biden touting the president's State of the Union speech on CBS.

Al Jazeera America shutting down  —  Al Jazeera, which made a massive investment in covering the United States less than three years ago, is slamming the brakes on its American operation.  —  Al Jazeera America, a cable news channel that debuted in August 2013, is shutting down.

Trump: Germans Are Going To Riot, Overthrow Merkel; Syrian Migrants Could Be “Trojan Horse”  —  At a rally Tuesday night, dubbed the ‘prebuttal’ to President Obama's final State of the Union address, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump predicted the German people are going to riot …

This is what makes Republicans and Democrats so different  —  MSNBC asked Benjy Sarlin, its reporter on the Republican race, and Alex Seitz-Wald, its reporter on the Democratic race, to flip jobs for a week and write up what they learned.  Their conversation is worth reading in full, but something Sarlin wrote caught my eye:

Heart doctors outraged Florida dumps hospital standards after big gifts to GOP  —  (CNN)The state of Florida is putting thousands of children with heart defects at risk, a group of cardiac doctors say, because of a change in policy that came after Tenet Healthcare contributed $200,000 to Florida Republicans.